RCB vs GG Match Prediction: Who will win today's WPL 2024 match?
The Gujarat Giants (GG) won only two matches in the 2023 edition of the Women's Premier League (WPL), and one of them was against the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB).
Sophia Dunkley led the way with a 28-ball 65 before Sophie Devine and Heather Knight's blistering knocks went in vain. Ash Gardner picked up three wickets as Bangalore fell short by 11 runs while chasing 202.
When the two teams clash for the first time in WPL 2024, at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium on Tuesday, February 27, GG will have the chance to notch up what seems like a rare win for them in the competition. And with that comes the possibility of handing RCB their first loss of the campaign.
That honor nearly went to the UP Warriorz (UPW) in the second match, but Sophie Molineux bowled an excellent final over following Asha Shobana's heroics with the ball as RCB managed to turn a losing position around. It was a welcome victory for the side, who finished just above GG in WPL 2023 to miss out on the playoffs.
Meanwhile, the Giants fell to the Mumbai Indians (MI). There's no shame in losing to the defending champions and current table-toppers, but their batting display was entirely disappointing before Tanuja Kanwer and Kathryn Bryce gave their team an outside chance of derailing the Mumbai juggernaut.
The head-to-head record between the two teams is 1-1. GG won the first meeting, as mentioned earlier, but RCB bounced back with an eight-wicket victory 10 days later on the back of Sophie Devine's magical 99.
Bangalore will hope that Devine can entertain their home crowd again on Tuesday, while Gujarat will be looking to silence all in attendance. Which side will come out on top?
WPL 2024, Match 5: RCB look to entertain the Chinnaswamy crowd once again
RCB weren't the most convincing team in their win over UPW. The batting effort was heavily reliant on a partnership between Richa Ghosh and No. 3 batter S Meghana, who rode her luck throughout.
This time around, though, the openers can be expected to come to the party. Smriti Mandhana just needs to be watchful against the off-spin of Ash Gardner while capitalizing on the rest of the bowling in the powerplay, while Sophie Devine enjoys an excellent record against GG and will want to make her first substantial contribution of the season.
Meanwhile, the Giants made the curious decision of opening with Veda Krishnamurthy and having Phoebe Litchfield bat at No. 4. That doesn't seem wise at all - as arguably their best batter, Litchfield needs to face as many deliveries as possible.
Given the fact that GG's bowling lineup has barely any firepower, they are the underdogs for their clash against RCB. While the home team tend to squander winning positions usually, that trend reversed itself in the last game against UPW, and things could be different this season.
Anything can happen in a game of cricket, but RCB should be able to keep their winning start to the season going.
Prediction: RCB to win Match 5 of WPL 2024.